Welcome to the Supernova Quilt-Along! I hope you are all as excited as I am to get started!

First, a little about how we’ll be piecing this quilt. My original design was made up almost entirely of 2.5″ squares, including quite a few half-square triangles. This time around, you will not have to piece a single HST. I can promise you that much! There is an easier way (which, of course, didn’t occur to me until after I finished the original Supernova top). It includes a little strip-piecing as well as some standard piecing.

The finished quilt will measure about 62″ square, and is made up of 9 asterisk-type blocks that I’m calling Supernova blocks. Each of those 9 blocks is made up of smaller sub-units. So we’ll be piecing the top in three stages, over three weeks—first the sub-units, then completing the blocks, and then assembling the top and borders. See, I told you the pace would be doable!

Material Requirements
Top:
• 2-1/4 yards total of various prints (see below for specifics on choosing your prints)
• 2 yards solid for the background and borders
• a fat-eighth of a contrasting solid for the pieced strips in the borders

Binding:
• 1/2 yard

Back:
• A total of 3.25 yards

Schedule
March 24: Cutting instructions
March 31: Piecing the sub-units
April 7: Completing the Supernova blocks
April 14: Assembling the top and adding the borders
April 21: Making the back
April 28: Quilting and finishing (with final link-up – you will have two weeks to link up your completed quilt)
May 12: Prize winner drawn (winner gets a FQ bundle of Castle Peeps)

My fabric selections for my new version

Fabric Selection
One of my favorite things about a quilt-along is seeing how everybody takes the same design and really makes it their own. I love my original Hope Valley version of this quilt, so I’ll be thrilled to see more versions made with that fabric line. But at the same time, I give you all my blessing to go crazy with your fabric selections and colors. I can’t wait to see what you all do with this!

If you would like a little guidance, here are some tips for choosing your fabric:
• You will want a minimum of 5 prints in each of the 9 Supernova blocks. Six or 7 prints per block would be even better.
• I used a total of 20 prints in the original Hope Valley version of this quilt, and I have 22 prints lined up for the new version. Fat-eighth or fat-quarter bundles would be ideal for this design.
• This would also make a great scrap quilt. However, for some of the prints, you should have at least 9″ by 12″ worth of fabric. For other prints, you’ll be able to get away with a little less. (I wish I could be more specific about this, but it will depend on which prints you choose to put where, whether you repeat prints within the quilt, etc.)
• In the original version of this quilt, I kept each Supernova block in one color family. I also tried to arrange the prints so that the darker ones were in the center of the Supernova and the lighter ones were toward the outside, or vice versa. (This wasn’t always possible, but I tried to stick to that scheme as much as I could.) So if you want to achieve a look similar to the original quilt, keep those two things in mind.

Okay. You’ve got a little over a week to make fabric decisions and get that fabric in hand. What are you waiting for? Don’t forget: If you post about your quilt-along plans by March 23, I’ll include your blog on the blogroll in my sidebar. And please join the Supernova Quilt-Along Flickr group, where you can post pictures of your fabric selections and ask questions. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

I am so excited about this QAL! I was going to use my Hope Valley stash, but now I'm thinking about using something else from my stash. Thanks for the guidance on fabric selection. While picking out the fabrics is my favorite part of the process I don't always know what I'm doing!

Well, hello! I am new to your site, and I have to say, it is awesome! I am joining in your quilt a long! That is an amazing pattern and I can't wait to work on it! I have posted on my blog with the button http://linzsews.blogpspot.com

Oh, I love your new fabric selection! I have seen your qal pop up all over blogland – it was really hard to resist joining the first couple of times and now I am finally giving in 🙂Tomorrow I will look through my stash if I have anything that will fit 🙂

aakk! too funny, as I'm looking back at your fabric selection I've picked a lot of the same fabrics as you. And seriously – i now have 35 fabrics pulled. whoops. Will walk away for now and revisit later.

I just got an email from my sweet daughter with a link to this site. She said she loves this quilt! Hmmm, I do believe she is asking for one, don't you think? I look forward to raiding my stash and fabric store! I'm in with you!

Hi again. I have blogged about the Quilt-a-long and I think I have joined the FLICKR group. I'm totally clumsy with FLICKR, but will keep trying. Hope I'm better at sewing the quilt. Thanks for the detailed tips in the fabric selections. All good.

Hi Lee, I love your design and joined the group on flickr. Hoping for input on the selection of three colorways I posted so that I can fill in if needed before the quilting begins – or pull what won't works so well. Puzzled to find out how we'll create it without HSTs. Don't have a blog but would like to toss my name in the giveaway hat if I can, castle peeps are so cute.

I am very excited that you are going to share your pattern with us in the form of a Quilt-Along. I have grabbed your button, joined the Flickr group, chosen my fabrics and blogged about your Supernova Quilt-Along on my blog @ lauralovesquilting.blogspot.com

Excited!!! Thank you for hosting this. I like the low stress level of doing this quilt along, "quilt-in", project ( As in : "in my home", "in my own time" ). Your quilt is just gorgeous! Can wait to see your next one 🙂